"Miseria?"
Hmm? My eyelids fluttered, and it took effort to open them. Stuck together from sleep. I pried them open and rubbed at the crumbs. With some effort, I got up using my elbows and observed the environment around me. They sank into cold, wet dirt, and wet leaves stuck to my skin.
Well. I'm still in the forest, so that's still the same. But…My hair.
Dark black locks fell over my eyes, and I brushed them out of the way. My hand? It's normal-sized. I marveled at it and the rest of me.
I'm in my body? My real body.
What happened?
I groaned and rolled over onto my hands and knees. Why am I wearing a white dress?
I pushed up and found my footing. Where are my shoes? What the hell happened after I fell asleep?
I wandered around the forest. Minding the trees and jumping at the sound of life. But there wasn't much of it. Actually, I think all of those sounds came from me.
Where is everything? Croaking frogs and the chittering of a bug close by. The buzzing of wings fluttering against each other as well. All of it's gone.
It's dark and cold, but oddly enough, it's not bothering me. Not the way it should. Shivers, wet noses, and any other indications of succumbing to the cold are just...absent. I wrapped my arms around myself and stepped forward. Dead trees and leaves swayed in the wind.
"Grace…"
A disembodied voice called for me in the distance, and I gulped. Oh. Oh no.
Why does whatever that is know my real name? I turned back and saw a hunched-over figure guiding a wolf farther into the forest while holding a torch. That's when I realized something rather strange.
From the moment I woke up. Everything lost color—even myself. The trees are all spectral grey and jet black. Even the light seems to have come from some noir filter. Everything's cast in shadows.
Entranced and confused, I followed the voice deeper. The figure flickered, and I ran after their shadow. "Don't leave! Wait! Where are we!"
I called after them as I ran. Only their torch and the wolf beside it were visible to the eye now. The hunched figure was gone.
I pumped my legs harder and pushed away branches that threatened to blind me with their arms. Don't leave!
I skidded to a halt and almost fell over into the lake. Calm, undisturbed waters rippled underneath me. My reflection stared back at me, but it wasn't mine at all.
A monster. A monster with red eyes crying black tears. Large shadows danced behind her. They stretched out and moved like an extension of her. Like wings. I sucked in a breath and stepped away from the lake only to run into you.
The hunched figure I was looking for straightened up and threw off their cloak.
Her eyeholes bored into me. The trees stood with her like they were trusted soldiers holding knives. My ears rang and my eyes darted from her to the trees.
Her black lips opened and her voice echoed off the trees."Το θέλεις αυτό; Θέλεις να πέσεις;?"
The winds whistled louder until it felt like multiple people were screaming in my ears. I don't understand. I raised the volume of my voice to compete with the screams. "I don't understand. I don't understand what you're saying! Please! Where are we? How do we leave?" I begged her to tell me, and she just…cried.
Like the ones my reflection had shed, a stream of ink flowed from the empty holes down her face. Her mouth opened again, but all that came out was a rush of that black liquid.
EW!
Then she opened it wider. Horrifyingly wide, and a flock of birds erupted from her maw. I screamed and stepped back. Fighting with the birds that threatened to poke my eyes out, too.
OH MY GOD. OH MY GOD!
I took one misstep. Just one. And that was all it took to make me fall backwards into the lake.
Cold water engulfed me, and I opened my mouth wide to scream, but all that went in was water. Cold water.
I screamed bloody murder and woke up with a start. Sweat poured down my neck and from my forehead. Beneath me, I could feel drenched fabric and smell something herbal. Familiar. Incense. It smells like her.
The door slammed open and hit the wall. "Miseria?!"
Warm hands pulled me up and out of the covers I was under. Strands of platinum hair brushed my face. What? I looked around and saw a large face. Purple eyes and white eyebrows expressed their concern. "What's wrong? Why did you scream?"
"..."
Although this feels plenty real. Maybe this is a trick. I didn't recognize her earlier, but…it was a nightmare. Nightmares aren't—Oh. Oh I'm going to rock her shit. Oh, she better pray."Mel, if that was you...I'm going to kick your ass."
"..."
"Did I die?"
Maybe that was like one of those bad dreams people in novels get when they die? Then they get superpowers or like a script for the future. If only I could be so lucky. This feels pretty real, though.
Niathe blinked and looked up at the sky for answers. No matter how much she prayed for them, the gods decided to let her figure it out on her own. Who is Mel? Is that a servant in the household?
Niathe smoothed out her expression."Excuse me? Ria, it's me. Your mother."
I narrowed my eyes with suspicion and sneered."Sure it is. Well played, Mel. Well played. I've got something for you too. Chicken duty for a month!"
The Niathe look-alike tilted her head, caressed my skull with delicate, slender fingers, and started to push on it with her fingers. "If only I could just pull it open….Just like this…I'd put it right back…"
Chills crawled up my spine, and I pushed her away from me. She's doing a real good job of nailing Niathe's usual weirdness—
Ria enough. That's not Melinoë.
Penguin?
Yes, it's me. Glad to have you back.